16.— F12[(1) A person holds a qualification appropriate for practice if he or she has been awarded a prescribed qualification in the State in accordance with prescribed training and education.]

(2) A person applying for registration in the pharmacists’ register who does not hold a qualification appropriate for practice as a pharmacist by virtue of subsection (1) shall be regarded as having a qualification appropriate for practice if—

F13[(a) he or she is a national of a relevant state and has his or her professional qualifications recognised by the Council under the Professional Qualifications F14[Regulations,]]

(b) he or she has, in a third country received such training and education, passed such examinations and obtained such qualifications as are, in the opinion of the Council, of a standard not lower than the standard of those necessary for practice in the F14[the State, or]

F15[(c) he or she has a qualification in pharmacy from a state other than the State which—

(i) falls within a ground prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph, and

(ii) in the opinion of the Council, is of a standard not lower than the standard of that necessary for practice in the State.]

F16[(3) The Council may—

(a) so as to inform itself for the purposes of F14[subsection (2)(b) or (c)] about the standard of training, education, examinations and qualifications in another state, require a person to whom that provision appears to apply to sit an examination,

(b) in any case in which it is in any doubt about a matter referred to in that provision, require a person to whom that provision appears to apply to undergo such training as it may specify.

(4) Schedule 2 makes further provision as to the recognition of professional qualifications in pharmacy.

(5) In this section—

“national of a relevant state” includes a person who is not a national of a relevant state, but who is an eligible person, as defined in Regulation 3 of the Professional Qualifications Regulations;

“relevant state” means—

(a) a Member State,

(b) a state that is a contracting state to the EEA Agreement within the meaning given by the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 (other than a Member State or the State),

(c) Switzerland;

“third country” means a country that is not a relevant state.]

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